The Fragile Dialogue: Study and Discussion Guide

Israel has quickly become one of the most polarizing forces in the North American Jewish community. In a world already much too divided, how can we approach the subject of Zionism without widening the rifts? This book wrestles with and attempts to frame the very fragile dialogue surrounding Zionism and Israel in the 21st century Progressive Jewish community. Written from a multiplicity of views, The Fragile Dialogue: New Voices for Liberal Zionism explores the many lenses through which this varied community approaches Zionism, not only set apart by political differences but also by geographical diversity, religious divisiveness, socio-economic policies, gender issues, the use and abuse of power, and more. The Fragile Dialogue is a conversation starter, meant to provide the challenging yet vital basis for narrowing the rifts in our dialogue around Zionism today.

This study guide, written by Rabbis Andrue Kahn and Jesse Paikin, is meant to help individuals and groups engage in that conversation and join the symposium. The guide offers ten sets of discussion questions, framed around several of the dominant themes explored in the book. We bring different authors into conversation together, and suggest essays that may be read with or against each other. Many of the authors investigate multiple themes in their essays, and their inclusion in one discussion here does not preclude them from having what to say on another topic. Rather, we gather them together in this way with the hope that readers may draw out significant ideas and apply them to the dilemmas examined.

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